COLUMBIA—United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Michael Todd Parker (37) of Cherokee County, South Carolina, pled guilty to one count of violating 18 U.S.C. § 666. Parker is a former deputy sheriff of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). Between 2010 and 2012, Parker corruptly seized a number of illegal poker machines from local businesses and then redistributed the same illegal poker machines from which he personally benefited financially. Parker was terminated from the CCSO in 2012. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, and the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Carrie Fisher Sherard.